In the past few years, laparoscopic surgery has become increasingly important and widespread. In the past, when doing surgery within the abdominal cavity, a large incision through the abdominal wall was required to permit the surgeon to adequate view the area to be operated on. The development of the laparoscope, a small telescope utilizing fiber optic technology, allows the surgeon to view a cite to be operated on within the abdominal cavity with an incision only large enough to insert the laparoscope. With such a small incision required, laparoscopic surgery reduces the risk of infection to the patient and the extent of trauma to the body during the surgery. The surgery also reduces the chance of adhesions resulting from exposure of the interior of the body, a relative common occurrence in prior surgery.
In conducting laparoscopic surgery, a small incision is typically cut through the abdominal wall for insertion of a cannula. Pressurized carbon dioxide gas passes through the cannula to inflate the abdomen to create voids for passage of the laparoscope. After inflation, the cannula is removed.
A trocar, or sharp pointed instrument, is then used to form an incision through the abdominal wall which will be used for insertion of the laparoscope. A trocar sleeve is concentric with the trocar, with only the sharp end of the trocar exposed from the trocar sleeve. Thus, when the trocar is inserted through the abdomen wall, a first end of the trocar sleeve is pushed through the abdomen wall into the abdominal cavity. The trocar is withdrawn from both the abdomen and trocar sleeve, leaving the first end of the trocar sleeve within the abdominal cavity. The laparoscope, or other suitable apparatus, can then be inserted through the interior of the trocar sleeve into the abdominal cavity. One example of a trocar assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,710 issued Jul. 22, 1986.
While such techniques have proven useful, several disadvantages remain. The trocar sleeve has a tendency to slide in and out of the incision in the abdominal wall, particularly when the surgeon is trying to move the laparoscopic instrumentation through the interior of the trocar sleeve into or out of the abdominal cavity. Further, seals are provided in the passage through the trocar sleeve to prevent the carbon dioxide gas from escaping the abdominal cavity. It is often difficult and time consuming to force the laparoscopic instrumentation or other device past these seals into the abdominal cavity. Therefore, a need exists for an improved apparatus and method for performing such laparoscopic surgery.